Attachment for automatic piano or organ players.



'No. 687,559. Patented Nov. 26, I90l. A. T. DERBY.

ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMATIC PIANO 0R ORGAN PLAYERS.

(Application filed. May 22, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()EEIcE.

ALBERT T. DERBY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMATIC PIANO QR ORGAN PLAYERS.

SPEGIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 687,559, dated November 26, 1901.

Application filed May 22, 1901. Serial No. 61,834. (No model.)

To aZZ- whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT T. DERBY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Attachments for Automatic Piano or Organ Players; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in self-playing attachments for pianos and organs wherein the keys are operated by suitable mechanism through the medium of aircurrents passing through perforations in a movable sheet of paper.

It has particular relation to that form of instrument popularly designated as a pian- 01a. In these instruments the tracker-board and music-rolls are contained in a central recess, and these parts are ordinarily uninclosed during the process of playing in order that the levers governing the tempo, expression, &c., may be manipulated and the expression-marks on the roll read. In all the self-players of this type the sound of the suction of the air through the tubes in the tracker-board and the scraping of the paper in its passage over the tracker-board greatly mar the otherwise musical tones of the instrument. This is particularly noticeable in pianissimo-playing.

It is one object of my invention to muffle these disagreeable sounds and still allow access to the parts for the necessary change of rolls and permit the marks of expression to be seen, yet without in any way interfering with the proper management of the above-mentioned levers.

Another object of my invention is to furnish a means of positively operating the soft pedal. 1n the pianola, to which, as before stated, my improvements have particular reference, the loud pedal only has been under the control of the operator, the pianissimo effects depending on the shortening of the stroke of the fingers on the keys, while in other self-players in which the soft pedal has been called into requisition it has in all instances of which I am aware been operated by pneumatics. The value of toneshading by means of the pedals is obvious, and it has been my purpose to add to the in strumcnt herein designated as the pianola the means of bringing the soft pedal directly under the operators control and using it either in substitution of or in conjunction with the present means of acquiring the lighter shades of tone.

Having reference to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an end view and partial section of the instrument. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same.

A represents the casing of an instrument of the ordinary pianola type in which the fingers operating the keys of the piano or organ are actuated by pneumatic devices and with which this invention has no relation.

2 is a central recess in which the trackerboard 3 and the rolls 4e are contained. Operating in a slot 5 in the bottom of this recess is a series of levers 6 7 8 9, respectively governing the loud pedal, the piano, tempo, and the rewinding mechanism. Hinged upon the rear wall of the recess is the glazed cover 10. The glass of this cover is held in a curved metal sash 11, conforming generally to the contour of the casing A and resting on the bottom of the recess rearward of the levers 6 7, 820. In order to permit the cover so to fit, the levers are bent outwardly at approximately right angles upon themselves, as shown. The front and lower portion of this sash is provided with the flanges 12, and the outer edges of these flanges are connected by a horizontal bar 13.

The ledge 14, upon which the cover rests, is provided with a felt, rubber, or equivalent lining, which serves entirely to muffle the sounds of the indrawing air through the perforations in the paper and of the scraping of the latter as it travels over the tracker-board. The result is the elimination entirely of this disagreeable feature referred to and the givin g full effect to the sweetest and lowest tones of the instrument.

By means of the bar 13 the cover is lifted at any time when it is desired to have access to the rolls, and a stop 15 on the casing A limits the backward movement of the covers The cover not only serves to exclude the dust at all times and to muffle the said un musical sounds, but to add materially to the finished appearance of the instrument.

The second part of my invention relates to connecting the lever 7, controlling the piano, directly with the soft pedal. This I do preferably in the following manner: In Fig. 2 the lever 7 is shown fulcrumed at 16. The lower end of the lever controls the present piano mechanism heretofore referred to. A rod 18 connects the lever 7 with one arm of a bell-crank lever 19. The other end of the bell-crank lever connects with a rod 20, which joins an arm 21 on a rock-shaft 22, disposed longitudinally of the machine. Adjustably secured upon this rock-shaft is the outwardly and downwardly curved arm 23, which is adapted to bear upon the soft pedal 24. The latter is operated by the movement of the lever 7 and by the oscillation of the shaft 22.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination in an automatic pianoplayer of a casing having a recess, a trackerboard and music-sheet-winding mechanism contained in said recess said casing having horizontal slots at the front lower portion of the recess, levers in the casing below the recess and having their upper ends passing through said slots, and bent outwardly, and a glazed cover hinged to the rear wall of the recess and adapted to inclose said trackerboard and music-sheet-winding mechanism and exclude said levers.

2. The combination in an automatic pianoplayer of a casing having a recess said casing having slots in a horizontal portion at the base of the recess, vertically-disposed levers disposed below the recess and having their upper ends passing through said slots and turned outwardly, a glazed cover for the recess, hinged to the rear wall thereof and having an arched form and inclosin g the trackerboard and music-sheet-winding mechanism, said cover having a substantially vertical front wall adapted to rest upon the bottom of the recess back of the slots.

3. In an automatic piano-player, the c0mbination of a casing, having a recess, a tracker board and musicsheet -winding mechanism contained in the recess said casing having horizontal slots at the base of the recess, levers disposed vertically in the easing below the recess and having their ends extending through the slots and turned outwardly, a glazed cover, hinged to the rear wall of the recess and having its front substantially vertical and with the bottom edge resting upon the bottom of the recess and means for operating one of said levers having a positive connection with one, only, of the pedals said connection including a rod extending from one end of the lever, a bellcrank lever connecting with the opposite end of the rod, a second rod extending from the bell-crank lever, and a rock-shaft, disposed horizontally and connected to the secondnamed rod said rock-shaft having an arm to bear upon the soft pedal.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ALBERT T. DERBY.

\Vitnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, JEssIE 0. 1311019112. 

